Mix Tape

Radio Eclectico -- May 2009

I've been dreading the mainstream '90s revival for almost a decade -- pretty much since we flipped over the dial and entered what the Brits like to call the Noughties. But I have to admit, when it happened, it kind of snuck up on me. It really wasn't until I heard my umpteenth grunge medley at my local Walgreens that it really sunk in -- reinforced by the daily sight of copious amounts of flannel. Remembering the vanilla "alternative" music scene I grew up with prompted the theme of this month's Mix Tape. Let's celebrate this explosively creative and wide-ranging musical era we're living in, shall we? I've spun the dial as far as it'll go, bringing in influences from every part of the world to showcase modern music makers who are getting it done through every distribution channel conceivable. A little bit goth, a little bit folk, with some counter-hegemonic dubstep, Somalian hip hop, and Isaeli YouTube madness thrown in. And just one '90s cover for those of you who read the first few sentences and indignantly protested, "Hey, I liked the 90s!"
Mix Tape compiled and written by Deepthi Welaratna.

Self-described "luddite laptopist" Filastine updates protest songs for the digital age in a heady brew of cut up dubstep beats, middle-eastern melodies, and politically charged samples. Affiliated with half a dozen locales including Seattle and Barcelona, the rather mysterious figure of Filastine is touring in support of newly released album Dirty Bomb and blogging about it in fine form. He shares emails from Japanese tour bookers and observes, "Their casual ease at english butchery makes William Burroughs look like a poser." Marxa is just one gem among many on an album that will strike a chord with any world traveler, virtual or physical.

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump will steal your soul, not with sly seductive wiles, but by belligerent brute force. Prepare yourselves for an onslaught of gritty gothic post-rock that matches snarling Siouxsie Sioux vocals to pummeling drums and revved up bass on "Saints." The live show promises to live up to the hype, as evidenced in YouTube clips of the London-based trio as their profile quickly rises. Look for a full album to follow their four song EP soon.

The buzz surrounding Florence and the Machine reminds me of the racing excitement that drove Amy Winehouse to the top of every list in 2006. Florence Welch is just 22, but her big-bodied sound is just as revelatory as Winehouse's, although more evocative of Grace Slick's psychedelic soul vocals and style than a 60s girl group sound. Her new single "Dog Days Are Over" is hands down my favorite track of the year so far, accompanied by a brightly colored video full of scary clowns and gypsy activities. Watch for Florence and the Machine's debut album to be released sometime this year.

Metronomy fits seamlessly into the current British indie rock mold, but touches of weird electronic wobbles and clean guitar riffs particularly reminiscent of The Cure help them stand out from the lineup. Metronomy has built up a substantial repertoire of covers and, in recent years, recurring supporting roles to acts like Bloc Party, Klaxons, and Justice. I included "On Dancefloors" in this mix for the wistful synths set against percussive rhythm guitar that is the closest thing to a signature sound they have, but plenty of tracks stand out on their second album Nights Out, including single "Heartbreaker."

Take one indie-loving Brit living in exile in Paris and give him samples from John Carpenter's Starman soundtrack and Rihanna's monster single "Umbrella." Out comes...a cover of Notorious BIG's 1997 hit "Hypnotize." Dan Black does culture compositing his own way, with an affinity for merging hip hop, rock, and electronica into one cohesive mainstream sound. His "take the dance party to the world" sensibility pops up in the HYPNTZ video, which pretty much sums up this mix very nicely. Black's debut album should be released very soon.

Perennial favorite Doves brings a Manchester-based lineage that traces back to legendary venue the Hacienda. They're back with a new album and updated sound that has been called easily the best yet. Still firmly in the realm of shoegaze-influenced indie rock, the new album promises to please the old fans and bring in new ones. On album opener "Jetstream," Jimi Goodwin's vocals soar above a layered electronic sound that may surprise some but hearkens back to their dance-oriented roots. Kingdom of Rust, released last month, is available to order on their site.

By now, Kutiman has been given the dubious honor of being dubbed a YouTube sensation around the world for the epic experiment he pulled off by cutting up existing YouTube vids to create new music. But his music deserves to be decontextualized from the videos and website in order to focus purely on the beguiling beats and melodies that show off his musical chops. The multi-talented Kutiman is a musician, composer, producer and animator in Israel and his moniker hearkens back to his love of Afrobeat and Fela Kuti, amply demonstrated on "Wait For me."

Janelle Monáe started her musical career as a musical theatre student at the American Musical Academy in New York. In a coup for pop lovers everywhere, Monáe changed musical tracks, moved to Atlanta, and fell in with the boys of Outkast who gave her a prominent role on the soundtrack to their 2006 film Idlewild. Monáe's first album takes inspiration from Fritz Lang's 1927 silent sci-fi film Metropolis and features as main character an Alpha Platinum 9000 android named Cindi Mayweather (who is NOT Monáe's alter-ego). Originally released as part of a shorter "suite" of songs, the single "Many Moons" is accompanied by a stylish high-concept video that tells Mayweather's tragic love story in a dystopian future.

Born in Mogadishu in Somalia, K'naan grew up during the Somali Civil war of the 90s. With his family, K'naan fled as a refugee first to Harlem before settling in Toronto Canada. Already a star in Canada, K'naan is breaking through in the US with his second album Troubador, which features his smooth light voice rapping over hip hop melodies infused with a Somalian style. His raps, too, focus on his homeland, promoting an end to violence and bloodshed that he sees as a direct contrast to the glorification of gangsterism in the West. First single "ABC's" features at its base a melody sample in a uniquely African scale, over which K'naan and guest Chubb Rock rap about a gritty life on the streets of Somalia. The "ABC's" video is currently on heavy rotation on MTV, but for those of you who shun the MTV machine, don't let that discourage you from checking it out.

Founded in Portugal in 2006, Buraka Som Sistema has an aggressive electronic sound that's giving reigning electronic group Justice a run for their money. Their sound is based on a type of music known as kuduro, born in Angola in the 80s. Exported from Angola to Lisbon, the style features raps over a unique electronic-based amalgam of African percussion samples with the island rhythms of Calypso and Soca. The sound is at once global and local, incorporating as it does Western house, punk and tribal beats into a distinctly Anglolan sound. The Portugese and Anglolan musicians who form the center of Buraka Som Sistema released their first EP From Buraka to the World in 2006, followed by full-length debut Black Diamond last year.

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